The Day After (Thanksgiving)

November 25, 2011

We had a really nice day yesterday. We were blessed to have nearby family members join us, although we greatly missed those of you who were not able to. We love you all!

As those of you who follow my blog already know, these past two years have been filled with selling our home in Indiana, making a 400-mile move back home to Illinois where we have spent most of our lives, downsizing the considerable number of possessions we have amassed over the last 40 years and getting things on an even keel so we can get back to daily living and work. Whew! It’s been a trip, so to speak, but the last storage unit has been emptied and we just have some things in the garage and basement to sort through. The big donation to Goodwill hasn't happened yet, but it is imminent. Can't wait to be able to get my car in the garage again! :-)

Because of all the busy-ness of the recent past, it’s been difficult…almost impossible, really…for me to get back to what I know and love…designing. I’m happy to say that as of Monday, I’m back on track and my designer hat is firmly in place. My husband, Carl, begins a new contracting job on Monday, so it’s full steam ahead for both of us.

I hope you all enjoyed your holiday as much as I did. I am glad it’s behind us, though, because I’m really looking forward to dragging out the Christmas ornaments and kicking off Christmas 2011.

Also on the agenda is spending more time writing and blogging. I've taken quite a few photos lately, so I'll meet you back here soon for more updates and photos! In the meantime, here's a sneak peek at our newest family member, Gracie, a little black Shih Tzu puppy who recently came to live with us. She's just as sweet as she is cute! :-)

Catching Up

Our epic move was 8 months in the planning and executing--mostly executing--but it's over at last. We are finally housed under one roof. It feels so good not to be making marathon trips between the two houses anymore. There is still a lot of unpacking and sorting to do, but I'll be happy for the moment if I can just find my Christmas decorations and get the car in the garage!

We've taken the last couple of weeks to rest up and take care of some other things that needed doing, but considering what we've been up against in making this move happen, I can't say that I feel guilty at all. Today marked the first snow of the season (although it didn't really amount to much), so we're grateful to have finished before bad weather set in.

Speaking of Christmas decorations, we bought a new tree this year. I've been trying to get it put up for a few days now, but haven't been able to find the timet. It should be a breeze since it doesn't require assembly and came pre-lit. That's on the agenda for later today, so I'll put up some pictures next time. 

In the meantime, Happy December! 

Follow Me on Twitter!

If you haven’t already discovered it, Twitter is a great way to keep up with what is going on in the lives of friends, family, business associates, celebrities and other people you want to keep track of. You can access it from your computer or your mobile phone (if you have the capability). I find myself updating my Tweets much oftener than I do my crochet list, simply because it’s easier, and I can do it on the fly. For those reasons, I’ve removed the link to my crochet list in the sidebar and inserted a Twidget (Twitter widget) instead. It's the best option for staying in tune with what is going on in my crochet world.

Happy Tweeting!

Playing In The Yarn

I finally completed all my deadlines, then found myself on the road again unexpectedly. I’m in Illinois once again spending some time with my mother who is recovering from an accident. Much to our delight, my eldest daughter, Tammy, was able to fly in from her home in Virginia to spend some time with us. We wish she didn’t have to fly home again tomorrow, but we’ve had a great week touching base and renewing family ties.

I’ve also been able to fit in some crochet time. I’m currently swatching some baby items and afghans and hope to have them sent off to a publisher sometime next week.

One thing I seem to have trouble finding time for is exploring new (and old) techniques. So, I packed a number of my favorite technique books, a wide assortment of specialty hooks and look forward to spending some time just playing with them. I'll be making a trip to the local Hobby Lobby this weekend for more yarn, so I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do with them.

Happy Fall!

Home Again

I’m finally home again. What started out to be a one-week visit turned into two. I had a great time re-connecting with family and friends, and was able to squeeze in a fair amount of work, as well.

That’s one thing I really appreciate about being a designer—the ability to do my job from anywhere. I was working on a project for a publisher when I left home, so I took it with me to finish it up. A few days after I arrived in Illinois, I received a cell phone call from a different publisher offering me another job. I accepted, and she overnighted the materials I would need to finish it. I’m about halfway through that project, and will spend a few days finishing it up while I settle back into my daily routine. I can’t tell you what the projects are, of course, but I’ll announce all of my newly published designs here once they are in print.

I was also able to get some work done on the free pattern I mentioned in the last entry, but I’m sure you’ll understand that the projects for the publishers take top priority. Keep checking—I’ll try to get the free pattern up soon!

What I'm Doing Now

Yikes! I can hardly believe it's been so long since I posted last, but here's what happened.

I did go on the trip I mentioned in my last blog entry. The trip was great. I enjoyed visiting with my family and cuddling my grandbabies. But, there is always time for crochet! As usual, I packed a duffel bag full of yarn to take with me because I never know what fiber I'll want to play with next. It's a good thing I did because one of my publishers emailed and asked me if I could stitch an afghan for them. They wanted me to swatch it in specific colors which I just happened to have with me. Woo hoo! Thanks to also packing my digital camera, I was able to swatch, photograph and get it approved quickly. An overnight yarn order got the yarn to me in time to begin stitching it while I was still on vacation. It's a good thing, too, because the afghan took me a full month to complete, and I was able to finish it just under the deadline.

As soon as I submitted the afghan, the same publisher had two more design projects for me. I've just finished both of them, and now I'm off again to design four more projects from another publisher. So, the transition from being an editor back to being a freelance designer has been a very busy, interesting and fun time for me. I'm happy to be back!